


I know

by Eleanor_Bennet (Eleonor_Bennet)



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-12 23:37:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14737947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eleonor_Bennet/pseuds/Eleanor_Bennet
Summary: An alternate story about the reveal. Totally not based on 3x24 or season 3 in general





	1. PART 1

"You won't have her." 

Lucifer's deep voice vibrates in the air, runs fast through her ears and then hits her heart with a loud _bang_. 

It's like an explosion, to hear his resolute, protective words... An explosion of feelings she wanted so hard to hide and deny, but that - she realizes - are too powerful and real. A human heart can't handle it, this powerful, all absorbing passion she's experiencing since she knows the man next to her. And now she fully understands it... Because everything's happening in front of her eyes isn't human at all. 

And how is she supposed to deal with the new reality she's facing? How can the world keep going as always, after this? 

"Brother... You know I have to." 

The stunning, brunette woman in front of them begs for Lucifer to understand. Chloe can easily read in her eyes the fact that she doesn't want at all to do whatever she's going to do, but somehow she seems resolute, too. As if it's in her nature to _obey_ to someone's order... An order that, apparently, Lucifer isn't willing to accept. At all. 

"You WON'T HAVE HER!" 

He steps forward, shielding the detective from the unknown woman. 

"Samael, please, don't..." 

A groan escapes from the Devil's throat, his hands clench in fists "That's not my name. Not anymore." 

For the first time, Chloe feels scared. She doesn't know why, since she knows Lucifer too well - or maybe, she thinks she knows him -, but his voice... Oh, his voice is so dark that it's impossible to not be scared. 

" _Lucifer_... You already saved her many times... She's bleeding, can't you see? Her life... Her life's going. " 

Only then, the detective stares at her body. Blood's spilling all over her, but there's no pain. She's light as a feather, and that... That worries her, because pain means you're alive. No pain... Well, that's the worst thing that can happen, after a shooting. 

"No. No, she stays here. She has a daughter, she's... She's the best detective LA can have. She has friends who care for her... And I... I..." 

His voice breaks, his eyes now on Chloe. And they're sad, so sad she wants to hug him tight and never let him go. But she can't move. Jeez, why can't she move? 

The woman's eyes fill with a warmth expression, sympathetic, and she sighs while stepping a little forward. 

"You love her." 

She simply states, and if Chloe's heart could've beat faster, it would, in that very moment. 

"Yes..." 

He whispers in response, almost sheepishly. "Yes, I do. I can't lose her... I..." 

Red eyes suddenly fix on her bleeding body, then on her face, and even if the detective is still in shock about that face, she can see, clear as the sun, the love he feels for her. And the fear. 

So, with what little forces she still has in her, tries to say something. "I d-don't..." 

He walks to her, the soft and scared expression written in each horrible scar on his face. "Don't talk, detective..." His hand hovers on her body, but he doesn't touch her. 

So Chloe takes one long, painful breath and manages to raise her arm, so she can take his hand in her. He's warm, and she's so cold that she just wants to enjoy his fire. 

"I... Don't w-want t-to leave... You." 

She whispers, feeling her eyes heavy, so heavy. And then she sees them... The tears spilling from those red eyes, and it's just so absurd that water can come out of the fire and flames playing in them... But then, what's not absurd in all of this? 

"I know." 

He's able to say, gripping her hand and giving her a chastised kiss on her knuckles, while his glorious, white wings wrap around them. 

And Chloe thinks that's it. That's how her life's ending, and her heart aches at the thought of the many things she still wants to do... Seeing her child grow, reaching a new level in her career, living this impossibly strange love with the man - _Devil_ \- who's now lulling her in his arms. 

She clearly feels her body give up, unable to feel anything except from a terrible, scary cold. 

But then... Then, the Angel of Death decides on her own. 

And signing her fall, she saves more than someone's heart. 

* * *

Darkness is all she can see, except for some flashes. She hears a siren, then voices, then something against her back and faces, faces... So many faces. 

They're moving, now, and again the terrible noise of a siren makes her want to scream in agony to please, stop. She's cold, too cold and she realizes that Lucifer's not by her side... And she misses his warmth. She really do. 

But suddenly, every single thing becomes unbearable and the world turns definitely black. 

There's _peace_ , finally. 

* * *

"You realize what you've done?" 

The Devil's voice is barely a whisper in the too crowded hospital hallway, his now dark eyes roaming all over the minute figure at his side. 

Her long, brown hair partially cover her face, shielding the world from the silent tears she's crying. 

"Why earth's such a temptation?" 

She asks, taking a deep breath "First you, then Amenadiel, and now... What do these humans have?" 

Her voice raises, a nurse glares at them and shushes the young woman. 

"They... _Feel_."

Lucifer looks at his sister, trying so desperately to cover his fear. Because Chloe's still in surgery, and his heart can't handle the thought of how hurt is she, right now. 

He just can't. 

"They feel, and they makes you want... To feel in the same way they do."

The Angel of Death sighs, sitting heavily on the hard chair. 

"My task's never been easy. Never. Dad always told me to be distant, to not look at these creatures as people, but as... As objects whose purpose was coming to an end." 

The words make Lucifer boil with rage, but he just has to stay calm. He has to. Beatrice is just some feets away from them, and the Devil knows well to behave in front of the child, if he doesn't want her mother to be angry at him. 

" Bloody bastard... "

Azrael seemes to ignore his statement, and goes on 

"It was hard, sometimes, but I had to do it... To carry their souls where they belonged. But... Your human... She's different. And you're different with her. For the first time I saw something else in your eyes, brother..." 

"What?" 

He bitterly replies, hands fumbling on his trousers and anxiety getting the best of him. 1 hour and they still don't have news? 

"Hope..." 

His sister takes a hand on one of his, and smiles "I don't want to see you suffer anymore. You know you're my favourite!" 

He huffs, but is able to smile at her "How can I be not?" 

"I couldn't take her away from you. Or from her daughter. And maybe, even if I'll lose my powers, even if I've decided to fall... Maybe it's ok." 

Tears fill her eyes again, and the Devil puts an arm around her shoulder and his head on hers. "I'll help you. You won't be alone... It's the least I can do to thank you." 

"You don't have t-" 

"Chloe Decker's family?" 

A young doctor asks, that bloody door finally opening. 

And everyone, from Daniel to the little urchin, to Linda, Maze, Ella and of course the two angelic brothers, stand up. 

* * *

 

Chloe wakes up at the tedious sound of a _Bip_. 

Her eyelids are heavy, her body seems a stone well planted on the ground, and something in her throat makes her want to puke. 

And she's coughing, hard, and her eyes have to open in shock and horror because the peace is over. She's back in the world. 

But... _Which world_? 

'Cause everything she knew before, all the things she believed in, sound now just alien. 

The detective always has been a concrete woman. Heaven, Hell, God, angels, the Devil were just _stories_ , for her. Because... which God allows so many crimes in this world? Which God takes away a father from his family? Which God lets people kill each other? 

Which God makes his own son burn and live alone and become a scapegoat for all the bad things in the world? 

_Which God?_

Her rage increases, but she can't breathe now and she just wants to scream at something, at someone... And then, finally, the nurses arrive and extubate her, and even if her throat is sore, she inhale in relief. 

She's back in the world. A world in which her partner's the Devil and she doesn't exactly know what to do with this information. 

* * *

 

Days go by slowly. Dan's often there for her, sometimes bringing Trixie with him - Chloe insisted that she had to go to school, whether she wanted it or not -, and she appreciates those brief visits. She does, but she can't deny that, when the visit time comes, she hopes the door will open and reveal Lucifer in all his weirdness. 

And everytime's the same.

He's not there, although Dan keeps saying he checks on her every day, but never wants to come in the room for _"God knows why"._  

Chloe now understands why her partner doesn't like those divine references, and she bitterly laughs every time her ex husband says things like that. 

But... Still... Why? Why Lucifer doesn't want to see her? 

She's hurt, she cannot deny it. But somehow she knows there's something deeper in his behavior. Something she has to discover when she'll finally go home. 

And at the same time, there are times in which she's grateful he's not there. That face is hard to forget, and those eyes... Those flames... 

Chills run down her spine every time her brain thinks about the last moments she'd seen him. 

It's a bittersweet situation, and a very confusing one... Because in those flames she's seen how much he cares for her, and the Lucifer she knows mixes with that Devil face. 

And how can she decide whether she wants him by her side or she's too scared of him? 

How? 

But then... Then she remembers his desperation, and those words she had told him. 

_"I don't want to leave you..."_

And they still sound true. 

So, she realizes she needs help to wrap up her mind. 

"Dan? Can you call Linda and tell her to come here? Alone?" 

She asks just when the man's about to leave, after a final hug to her precious little girl. 

 


	2. PART TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks of silence

"Chloe! How are you feeling?" 

The blond doctor seems nervous, her hand often going to adjust her glasses and a half smile on her face. 

She knows something, Chloe can tell it. Her detective instinct is high, her eyes scrutinize Linda's face in search of some clues of what exactly she knows.

But the painkillers slow her judgment, so she finds herself staring at the doctor with absent eyes... In an awkward silence. 

"I... Uhm... I'm fine, I think?" 

She replies, adjusting the sheets above her. 

"Good... That's good. So, Dan told me you wanted to talk?" 

"Yes... Yes." 

What on Earth is that awkwardness? 

Chloe can't tell why she feels this insecure. It's Linda, not some freaking... _Strange_ person. 

So, she inhales deeply and shakes her head, in search of the calm that's always part of her. 

"What would you do, if... If the scariest thing in the world is also... The best thing that ever happened to you?" 

She manages to ask. Linda adjusts her glasses on her nose and shifts suspiciously on the chair. 

"Depends on what's this... Thing. I don't think we're talking about the shooting. Right?" 

"Right... It's not the shooting that bothers me." 

"Ok... So, what?" 

Chloe averts her eyes from the doctor, her gaze now on her hands. She can't stop her mind to think about that red face, and yet... The more she thinks about it, the less she feels scared. Just... _Confused_. 

"It's Lucifer." She whispers. "You know... He always told me, from day one, he's... He's..." 

She can't say the word, but Linda is smart. Very smart. "The Devil." The doctor says, and Chloe looks at her, nodding. 

"Yes... But, I mean it's absurd, right? It can't be. He's not..." 

She puts herself upright and sighs, trying to regain some control. "Ok, I sound weird, I know." 

The doctor smiles at her and touches her hand. It's a light touch, and it reaches the goal: it calms her a little. 

"Things are weird only if you think of them like that, Chloe."

The detective ponders the words, and deep in her heart she knows they're true. Things are not weird. _Absurd_ , hard to believe, hard to accept yes, but not weird. 

Lucifer's weird in his way of living every situation, but he can be many more things, too. And Chloe knows that, despite everything, she can't live without his daily dose of weirdness and kindness and... Dare she say, _love_? 

"You saw him, too. Am I right?" 

She suspects Linda knows from a longer time than her, since she's his doctor. And even if the thought hurts a little - because, selfishly, she wanted to be the first in which he'd place his trust -, she's somehow comforted by the fact that she can actually talk about this _thing_ with someone. 

"Yes... I saw him. And I've been scared. My all world of certainty fell apart when I realized that we truly are... Little, in this crazy, biggest scheme." 

They both huffed a laugh, the greatness of this new awareness now in front of their human eyes. 

"I never liked the stories about the Devil. I mean... He asked for free will and gets punished for life? Ok, he dared to raise an army against the _actual God_ but... Sounds like a stretch." 

Chloe's lost in her thoughts, an aware smile on her face while she talks her heart out to the blond doctor. " And let's talk about the apple. I mean... An _apple_! Boo - hoo! What a crime to let humans in the know of the actual reality! How could Adam and Eve even procreate, without knowing what sex was?" 

"Are you sure you're fine, Chloe? You're... Talking just like Lucifer. It's... Strange." Confusion is written all over Linda's face. She definitely didn't expect this reaction... 

The detective sighs again, shaking her head 

"Maybe I work with him too much... But, anyhow what I'm trying to say is that... I've never been scared about the Devil. I never understood why everyone saw the evil in him... He was just a son, different from his brothers, and was condemned to a life of loneliness and disdain. And now... Now that I know that Lucifer's... "

Her eyes become teary, her voice breaks a little and Linda squeezes her hand again. 

"I can't justify every single thing he does... But I can't be mad at him, because now _I know_... And I was lonely too, when I met him. And felt out of place. And he was the only one who wanted to be with me..." 

The doctor smiles at her "So, you're not scared?" 

"That face... That face was scary. But you know what I was scared of the most?"

Another pause, another sigh. "I could see... _Feel_ his pain. All the pain he bares and hides behind his smiles and smug attitude. I felt it all... And blamed myself for not being able to understand him before... "

She's now sobbing, and the air in her lungs burns and her chest's heavy. But she doesn't care... She needs to let go for a minute. Just a minute. 

" You couldn't know, Chloe. It's not something you can be prepared of discovering."

"But... So many times he wanted to tell me, and I always discarded him. Called him a fool, or worst..."

"Yes, but he was never able to prove it to you, am I right?" 

"No... He couldn't. And that makes me actually wanna _punch him_ in the face, because he didn't trust me enough. But still..." 

"He trusts you. More than anyone else... That's why he couldn't prove it to you... He's the one who's scared, Chloe." 

Silence falls in the room, only the machines create an awful background. "Scared of what?" 

The doctor sighs, her gaze goes to the floor. Maybe it's not so professional, to reveal confidential informations, but the situation is peculiar. And Chloe's a friend. 

"Of your rejection..." 

* * *

Days go by. Slowly. Painfully slowly. 

Chloe's finally able to go back home, but she's not allowed to work, since her injuries are still fresh. 

Blocked in a bed or on the sofa, while Trixie's at school and Maze nowhere to be seen, she spends the first days alone... And she's bored. Like, _a lot_. 

And she's left with her thoughts, her mind always running to Linda's words and to the last time she'd seen her partner. 

It seems a life ago... She misses him and she knows she has to be the first to make a move. To reassure him that she's OK with him. But every time she tries to call him or write him a text, her heart starts pounding too fast in her chest and she's not able to do anything. 

_Maybe tomorrow_... 

* * *

"Look at you, all broody bro!" 

The angel - or former angel, maybe? - steps by the Devil. The entire city below them is glowing in the dark. 

Lights, sounds break the would-be silence and darkness of the night, which was all Lucifer could ask in that moment. 

_Calm_... 

" Stealing my lines, Azrael?" 

He discharges the cigarette and bitterly smiles at his little sister. He'd never admit it, but he's happy she's there for him... For once, it's nice to not be alone, facing another awful event of his millennial life. 

"She'll want to see you. I'm sure, Lu. She said she didn't want to leave you... That's something, I think... I mean, I'm not an expert of hum-" 

"Don't talk. Please.... Don't... Don't let me think about her. Not now." 

He begs, eyes becoming teary and voice broken. _Three weeks without her_... Three weeks. He's pretty sure he's fallen in his own hell loop, one without his detective by his side and all black and scary and... And _lonely_. 

Even if Azrael, Maze and Linda had been there for him, he still has this hole in his chest, like a missing piece of a puzzle. The most important one. And so he's not able to enjoy the friends he still has, he's not able to leave the penthouse and go somewhere, doing his Devil things... He's not able to sleep, to eat, to breathe at the thought of Chloe Decker in a bed, injured, and probably hating him for what he is. 

The monster lies underneath him, _inside_ him, and he knows pretty well he wants to be fed with what he's used to do: _sins_. 

But there's still a little spark of hope inside his heart... There's still a little light. So he just can't give up to the monster. He has to stay in this limbo for just a little longer... Until Chloe makes her decision. 

And then, just then, after her definite rejection, he will _be_ the monster. 

* * *

Another day passes by. Pains are killing her, so much that she decides to just stay in bed. 

Her mother obviously came to take care of her, which means Chloe's desperate to be alone for just one freaking second. 

_"You have to eat, monkey, come on"_

_"I'm not 8, mum."_  

This were pretty much the most of their conversations, ending with Chloe rolling her eyes in defeat and Penelope grinning for victory. Because of course she won... 

At the end of the day, she's grateful, though, that she's been here. Trixie needs someone this fancy and awkward to deal with her mother's incident, and Chloe needs her mother... Even if she's exasperating. 

"You're not sleeping, Chloe?"

She's leaning at the door frame, her arms crossed on her chest in that attitude she clearly inherited. 

"No... I think I need more painkillers to do it." 

She shifts a little in the bed, trying to reach a comfortable position without succeeding. 

Penelope's immediately by her side, adjusting her cushions and giving her the pills. 

"You know, love... I can read you better than anyone else. Something's bothering you" 

Chloe huffs, after swallowing water, and heavily falls on the fluffy cushion on her back. And that's when she sees it... Coming from it, a little, light feather falls on the sheets, and immediately her hand takes it and her eyes fondly look at it. 

"Monkey?" 

"Yeah, thanks mom... There's something I need to do. Can you... Just leave me alone for some minutes?" 

* * *

The buzz of his phone startles him. 

It's late at night - he doesn't bother to watch the clock, but it's late. He just knows. 

His sister's somewhere with the doctor and Maze, and he hardly believes they're in trouble. Not with Mazikeen by their side. So, he suspiciously takes up the phone and his heart almost stops in seeing who's calling. 

"Detective?" 

He answers without even thinking, and the sound on the other side is the most beautiful he's ever heard in those weeks. 

_"Hey... Am I bothering you?"_

Her voice is weak, full of pain and lacking her usual sparkle. 

"No... No, never. How are you?" 

Jeez, he's so nervous he feels like a teenager. But he needs to know she's fine. He needs it as every human needs air. 

_"Yeah... I feel like someone shot me and then punched me in the stomach but... I'm fine... - ish"_

She laughs, and then she hisses and he has to gain all his power to not fly to her right there and then. 

"Chloe I-... I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you."

_"I'm the one who decided to follow him... It's not your fault. Plus... You did... You did save me, after all."_

Her voice is tender, now, and he's confused. Like.. Very confused. 

"Right, that.." 

_"I need to talk to you. Can you... Come here?"_

And that's it. The moment he feared the most during the last weeks has finally arrived, and he feels his heart aching in his chest. 

But there's still that spark... 

"Of course... I'm on my way."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be the last chapter, but since I'm writing a lot, and since I like things to be neat and not confusing, I preferred to add a new chapter. Centered on the confrontation between Lucifer and Chloe... I mean, I have a lot to say about it :')
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter! Thank you for your time, your kudos and comments.  
> They' re enlightening my very dark days <3


	3. PART THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A detective and a Devil

Lucifer knocks at the door, not knowing exactly what to expect. 

He's nervous, of course, somehow prepared for the worst but also excited, 'cause he finally can see her. Even if for just some last moments. 

What he definitely didn't imagine was the woman who's now in front of him, with a huge smile and sparkling eyes. "Lucifer! Finally I have the chance to see you!" 

He smiles, or at least he tries to. "Mrs. Decker! Lovely to meet you again. The detective called me... Pardon for the hour." 

"Non sense! You brought flowers, so you're forgiven!" 

"Ah yes, flowers..." he replies awkwardly, while the woman is practically taking them from his hand and already putting them in a vase. 

"Chloe loves sunflower... And oh, look, a red rose! So thoughtful of you!" 

"Erm, yes, maybe I can give them to her..."

"Non-sense. She can't move, and these need water immediately."

He eyes her, and he can tell something's wrong in the always joyous woman. It's inevitable for Lucifer to immediately feel bad, worried... Maybe the detective isn't fine? Maybe this time he couldn't save her? 

"Is everything alright?" 

He asks, making a step in Penelope's direction. Her hands are still fumbling with the flowers, but her eyes are teary. And suddenly, the actress sighs and with absent gaze, she replies. "She's my daughter. My only daughter... And everytime that phone rings, everytime I read an unknown number, my heart breaks. Because I know something bad happened, and I can't protect her... I already lost the love of my life. I can't lose my child... I can't see her like this... Suffering, hurting. I can't... "

And now she's crying, and for the first time in his eternal life, Lucifer understands too well what the woman is feeling. Because he feels like this, too. 

_Powerless_. 

"Chloe is strong. And stubborn... And as much as we want to protect her, you know she'll always act in the way she choose. That's what makes her so... Special." He whispers, a half smile on his lips. 

"I know... She is, indeed. Just like her father." Penelope dries her eyes, then adds "Go...she needs you." She hands him the vase, a knowing smile makes her blue eyes glimmer. 

And there he goes... With trembling hands and his heart skipping many beats. 

* * *

Chloe hears footsteps approaching her door, but nobody enters the room. So, she waits, and waits... And waits. Until she sighs in desperation. "Lucifer, come in! I don't want to talk to a wooden door." 

Cautiously, he opens the door and finally... Finally, after three weeks, she can see him. Her heart betrays her, pounds hard in her chest... But it's not fear or anxiety, as she expected. No. This is just... Happiness. 

"Hey..." she whispers, smiling at the face she knows too well, at those chocolate eyes, at his uncertain smile. 

" _Hey_ to you too, detective." He stays still in front of the door, flowers in hand and eyes nervously roaming in the room. 

"You can... Come closer, you know? I won't bite." 

But he doesn't move, except for his facial expression that changes from confusion to disbelief. 

"Are those for me?" She asks, hoping for a reaction - _any_ reaction - from him. It's so unusual to see him like this... Cautious, guarding, like a wild animal scared to be approached. And Chloe's heart aches at the thought of Linda's words... 

_He's the one who's scared._  

" Yes... Your mother already put them... Here..." He puts the vase on the night table at her right, but he still maintains some distance between them. 

"They're beautiful. Thank you. " She smiles again, and she gains a smile from him, too. But still... He's distant, and he's so unnaturally him. 

"Lucifer... Can we tal-" 

"Detective, I know... I know what you're going to say. I just want you to know that I've always wanted to tell you the truth, but I... Well, I wasn't capable of doing it. And it's not an excuse, because you deserve to know everything, I just... I just..." 

"Lucif-"

"I panicked, because selfishly I didn't want you to know the real me, the _monster_ I am. I didn't want to read refusal on your face. And when I tried to, I failed, and you cried and I don't want to see you cry... "

"Lucifer! "

"I know you hate me, I know you're afraid of me, I just want you to know that... I'd never hurt you. I hurt you before, but... I'd never do any harm to you or your family and friends"

"LUCIFER!" she shouts with all the air in her lungs. And the effort hurts, so she hisses, but that doesn't stop her. Of course not. "Can you _stop_ , please?" She says in a painful whisper, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. 

"Of course... If that's what you want..." He starts to walk back to the door, and Chloe rolls her eyes. 

"Lucifer, for fuck's sake! I want to talk. I don't want you to leave. I want you to sit, and _talk_. _To me_." She emphasizes the last three words, her eyes severe. And he can't walk away, not while she's looking so sternly at him. He gulps, then sits on a chair full of clothes. 

"No, come here..." She pats the bed, and smiles again. 

"Are you sure?" he whispers, but his legs are already moving, attracted to her like a magnet. His breath's heavy, fear's written all over his face but at the same time here it is... That light. That little hope he doesn't dare to think about, not this much. Because he knows it will hurt, if she finally rejects him for real. 

But he's thinking about it now, while her blue eyes, rounded by black circles of tiredness and pain, are looking at him so softly. 

He has to think about it... Because _she is hope..._

"I'm sure." She replies, and so he sits next to her, even if not too close. He's cautious, she can sense it. "Why didn't you come at the hospital?" 

"I did... Actually." 

"Yes, but never in my room." 

He averts his gaze, his hand nervously fumbling with his cufflinks. "Yes, well... I thought you needed time." 

Chloe sits, or at least tries to. "I needed time, you're right. What happened... What I saw... It's hard to accept." 

He looks down, somehow defeated or maybe preparing for the worst. 

"But it doesn't mean I don't want to." She reaches for his arm, so that he has to turn and look at her. "I _want_ to accept you, Lucifer."

"Det- Chloe... You saw me." His voice shakes, and she can tell it's hard even for him, that truth. 

"I saw you... I've always seen you. The _real_ you." 

"What...?" 

She takes his hand in hers, and smiles. "Did you mean it? What you told to your sister?" 

_"You love her"_ the angel's words resonate in her head, as much as his response... 

"Yes. I meant it. I still mean it..." 

He's avoiding her eyes again, but he doesn't remove his hand. Chloe can hear her heart beating faster, and suddenly all the pain and fear disappear. He's always been sincere with her... This impossibly handsome man - _Devil_ \- has always been there for her, no matter what. But he just isn't able to understand how much he deserves to be loved. To be appreciated. 

He feels like a monster...

If she thinks back at the look in his red eyes, she can clearly see it: the guilt. The self-deprecation. The desperation of wanting to be accepted by someone, but the feeling of not being worth it. 

How many years he spent like this? How many people had turned their back to him? 

She can't forgive everything, of course. Not all at once, at least, because as he said... At some point, he'd hurt her. As much as she'd hurt him, if she thinks better about the last months. 

"Look..." she starts, voice unsteady and filled with emotion "I'm not saying it will be easy. This is... Huge. And complicated in so many ways." He looks at her with eyes full of sadness and awareness, all spiced with confusion. He expects her to send him to hell - figuratively, she hopes - to refuse him, to never want to see him again, Chloe can tell. 

And she needs to make it clear: _she doesn't want to_. Not at all. "But I know you. I know my partner. I know the man who's been there for me, when everybody else was against me. 

I know the man who's insufferable in so many ways, but that - despite what he thinks - has a heart of gold. I know the man who's there in every case, and helps me solve them. I know the man who saved my life... I now believe more than once... " She searches his gaze and has the confirmation of her last sentence. 

Of course she'll have so many questions for him, but... Just not now. Now, she wants him to know how she sees him.

"I know the man who trusts me, believes in me, makes me want to be better." She squeezes his hand, giving him a teary smile. 

"You may be the Devil for the world... But I told you already: not to me, Lucifer."

He's speechless. Tears prick his eyes, breath is catched in his throat, and he stays silent... As if he wants her words to fill him. To make him feel alive. To complete the puzzle in his wounded heart. 

"Can I see it again?" She says in a whisper, her free hand barely touching the skin of his neck. And who is he to deny her something? How can he say no, after what she's saying to him? 

His face shifts to the one he hates and loves at the same time... Because it's what defines him, his identity, but also the ghost of what he was forced to become. 

Chloe gasps, but fear immediately leaves her mind, and her hand goes up, up to the deep, scarred red of his cheek. Adjusting on the bed and ignoring the pain in her abdomen, she puts the other hand, too, on his face. "... Not to me." She says again, and finally smiles. "Never to me." 

"Chloe..." It's all he manages to say, overwhelmed as he is by so many emotions. 

Acceptance, completeness... Happiness? 

Now, he knows she's not being manipulated by his father. Everything's different from the last time they exposed each other's feelings. 

Now... Now Chloe knows. And she's choosing him. The Devil. 

"Come here... Stay with me." She slightly shifts on the bed and points out the vacant place next to her, and he doesn't need to hear it a second time. He takes off his jacket and carefully lies at her side, an arm around her shoulder. "First time in the same bed. I thought it would've been different... But I don't complain." His voice is still... Strange. Full of fondness and slightly embarrassed. But his intent is clear: he wants everything to be normal, again. 

Chloe huffs a laugh, leaning on his shoulder "Sorry to disappoint. You know... Injuries aren't sexy. Nor an old PJ's and bags under my eyes!" 

"I beg to differ!" His face shifts to the one she knows, and he fake an offended face. 

"It's a pity you don't have horns..." She says, ignoring him and ruffling his hair with a hand. 

"Tsk, horns... Don't know why you humans have to picture me with those... Wait, _pity_?" 

She laughs again, light hearted, and closes her eyes. "Goodnight, Lucifer." 

"Detective, what do you mean with pity?" 

"I said goodnight, Lucifer." She fakes a yawn, grinning. 

"Yeah... You know, you can't lie to the Devil."

"It's not a lie, if I don't say anything. Now, shut up and sleep." 

"Sir, yes sir..." 

He whispers... Smiling. Oh, his cheeks will hurt soon, if he keeps smiling like this. 

But he doesn't care... The puzzle is complete, now. 

They're complete, now. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... This is the end. Even if I had in mind something else, but, well... I thought it would be better to leave it like this. What do you think?
> 
> PS. Obviously, THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR YOUR KUDOS AND COMMENTS and for all the support you gave me.   
> #SaveLucifer

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what do you guys think of it!


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